Planning Democracy

How 'Freedom of Information' can help your campaign - Action to Protect Rural Scotland Wednesday 25 February 7-830pm online Freedom of Information is one tool in the box which you can use to help

Upcoming webinar on Freedom of Information Tools

@aprscotland.bsky.social and @plandemoc.bsky.social are teaming up with @ercscot.bsky.social webinar

🔎 How ‘Freedom of Information’ can help your campaign
Wednesday 25 February 2026 7-8.30pm Online event

Sign up here aprs.scot/how-freedom-...

We were saddened to hear of the recent death of John Mayhew. As director of @aprscotland.bsky.social, John was hugely encouraging to Planning Democracy as we were being set up. His advice and support was invaluable - and ongoing.
Our sympathies to his family.
www.scotlink.org/john-mayhew-...

Thanks!

A highly commendable manifesto for important change
Yes our #planning system - that has been reinforcing inequality & driving #environmental harm- must become a tool for tackling the nature & climate emergencies
We need #FairerPlanning in #Scotland!

We Have a New Plan and You are Invited Its time for a radical overhaul of Scotland’s planning system, which currently fuels inequality, environmental harm, and excludes communities in favour of private profit. Over the past few months, …

Want to see a radical overhaul of Scotland's planning system? So do we!
Join us at our manifesto launch event in Edinburgh on Thursday 27 November. More information here:
www.planningdemocracy.org.uk/2025/we-have...

Trustees with Planning Democracy – Goodmoves We are looking for new trustees to join our board and the wider Planning Democracy team. If you are interested in democracy, justice, the environment or planning, please take a look at what we ...

Would you like to join our team? We're looking for trustees at Planning Democracy. For more information, see our advert on Good Moves here, deadline 27 October:
goodmoves.org/vacancy/a4sP...

That soggy patch of grass on a new housing estate? It might be a SuDS fighting floods & feeding hoverflies! Want to help make new housing greener and wilder? Join our webinar to learn how to push for nature-first development. #SuDS #UrbanNature #WildlifeFriendly
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/drainage-d...

Thanks to Clare for hosting, really good to get together yesterday. Lots of energy and enthusiasm for the year ahead.

A group of people sitting around a campfire in woodland under a large rain cover.

The weather may have been a bit damp but the PD team were not discouraged!
Luckily we had a huge parachute to keep dry under. Great food, chat (not always about planning), walks and even a quiz at the annual social gathering.

Declare your love for nature! YouTube video by ScotLINK

In Scotland, nature is struggling.

But this year we have a huge chance to help it recover with the Natural Environment Bill.

We need our leaders to know how much Scotland's nature matters!

Declare your love for nature:

www.scotlandlovesnature.scot/actnow

www.youtube.com/shorts/PJdbt...

Join us for an open discussion on how we can best mobilise in defence of environmental democracy. Excellent speakers and a guaranteed energising evening!

Charities welcome Natural Environment Bill - Scotland Loves Nature Environment charities have welcomed the publication this week of Scotland’s Natural Environment Bill, a crucial step in fighting the nature and climate crises.

This week's publication of Scotland's Natural Environment Bill is a hopeful moment in the battle against the nature and climate crises. But much more is needed to win.

Read our full response:

www.scotlandlovesnature.scot/charities-we...

#ScotlandLovesNature

Campaigners in Invergordon have been fighting a housing development that is significantly contrary to the LDP yet being recommended for approval, despite impacting ancient woodland & veteran trees. Please support their fight for justice for nature www.sogs-highlands.co.uk @wtscotsocial.bsky.social

Save Riverside Park! We are raising £5,000 to take legal action against Dundee City Council's decision to grant planning permission to a 10,000 sq ft training facility on our beloved greenspace by the river Tay.

Communities have no right to appeal planning decisions even if it is flawed or environmentally destructive. The only way to challenge is through expensive legal action.
This brave community have done this.
Please donate to help them succeed

www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-ri...

Still time to sign up!

Planning Conditions and Enforcement We will look at what planning conditions are, how they work and how they are enforced.

Nature & Planning Webinar Wed 5th Feb 7-8.30pm
Planning Conditions & Enforcement How do they work for Nature?

Speakers
Kiera Chaman Oxford Uni
Stuart Bence Nature Scot
Ed Swales Enforcement Officer Cairngorms NP
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/planning-c...
@aprscotland.bsky.social
@scotlink.bsky.social

Nature Networks, LDPs and planning decisions The NPF4 mentions the importance of Nature Networks in the Green Belts Policy and the Biodiversity Policy but what does this mean ...

On Wednesday evening we have the third in our series of webinars on Planning and Biodiversity with @plandemoc.bsky.social

There's still space so register here! 👇

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-net...

Job Opportunity: An ESRC-funded research project with Sheffield University that asks 'are new planning policies to protect biodiversity improving outcomes for biodiversity on the ground?'
jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research...
jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research...

APRS Webinars We teamed up with Planning Democracy to run a series of Webinars.

You make an important point. Have you seen our recent webinars with APRS on the importance of local people recording and how to get your data onto NBN Atlas? aprs.scot/event/joint-... May be helpful, and the next ones too, especially Feb session on conditions.

Great to have our article on how
well National Planning Framework 4's nature policies are working on the ground featured in Scottish Planner magazine.
www.rtpi.org.uk/media/19012/...

Useful guidance about responding to a planning application from @plandemoc.bsky.social

www.planningdemocracy.org.uk/wp-content/u...

APRS Webinars We teamed up with Planning Democracy to run a series of Webinars.

It was another great webinar this evening from @aprscotland.bsky.social and @plandemoc.bsky.social on Wildlife Recording and Planning. Absolutely great.

Sign up for the next one in the series on 15 Jan here.

aprs.scot/event/joint-...

APRS Webinars We teamed up with Planning Democracy to run a series of Webinars.

Thank you to all our speakers at last night's Winter Webinar with @plandemoc.bsky.social

Hear about first-hand experience of citizen science.

The webinar is now available to re-watch, with supporting resources 👇

+🎟️ Free places available on future webinars

Planning Democracy is on Bluesky! A brilliant grassroots organisation working on systemic democratic deficits, inequalities and environmental justice in land use planning in Scotland

A great listen with lots of information about a much loved mammal that is in decline. Includes hedgehog highways and why its important to make holes in fences and walls so hedgehogs can forage for food and find mates!

Biodiversity and new development - Recording what is in our areas. Building an understanding of what nature there is in different areas and and communities.

Next Wednesday 4th Dec at 7pm we are running a webinar with @aprscotland.bsky.social colleagues. We have 3 great speakers explaining how to record different species from trees to fungi, why this is so important and how this helps to protect nature from developments. Sign up now!

bit.ly/3VeCZvB

Planning Rights Workshop at C&C Community Hub Kate of C&C Community Hub in Cumbernauld writes about the importance of planning rights for communities when it comes to local development.

We've just joined Bluesky!
What do we do? Find out by reading this wonderful blog by Kate from Cumbernauld & Carbrain Community Hub. It's about a workshop on planning rights we ran with our partners @aprscotland.bsky.social, with support from the Corra Foundation.
www.corra.scot/planning-rig...